During President’s Day my lady and I decided to indulge my brother’s interest in serial killers by watching the 2007 movie “Zodiac.” As a movie it is just fine; It has actors, it has a story, and it’s got all that good movie stuffing that we all know and love. About midway through the movie though, I just so happened to be eating my popcorn and drinking my Tequila Slammer when something in the movie shocked and awed me, and if what the movie says is true, then the Zodiac killer got his name FROM A WATCH!!!

Just a little background for those who are not in the know: The Zodiac Killer was a killer who terrorized northern California in the 60’s and 70’s by killing people(obviously), and then by mailing out cryptic messages that bragged about his crimes and of which hinted to further acts of violence. The continuing appearance of this symbol has since been associated with the Zodiac Killer.

You can see the usage of this symbol in the letter below:

Now even though the killer is unknown officially, the movie strongly suggests the killer is a man named Arthur Leigh Allen, and if that is the case, this Zodiac Sea Wolf was the Zodiac Killer’s watch:

Now if you are thinking this watch was some sick watchmaker’s homage to a criminal, then you are dead wrong. This watch was made well BEFORE the Zodiac Killer ever came into existence, and it is the ONLY usage of both the name “Zodiac” and the familiar symbol ever to appear together in the whole of history. And if that’s not enough, the suspected Zodiac Killer actually OWNED this watch.

Coincidence?

I think not! The Zodiac Killer got his name and his infamous symbol FROM A WATCH!!!

Now immediately following the movie the watch nut in me did some research on this company. I had never heard of them before, but everything I could find about this company suggested to me that this was just another relatively obscure watch company making humdrum watches for the masses.

They do have a bit of a history, but in the opinion of this humble presenter, they basically have a 100 year history of mediocrity. To my surprise however, I found that this company is still around and they are still making budget-priced watches for the masses. And what’s more of a surprise, there is actually a modern-day Zodiac Killer watch, a modern-day Zodiac Sea Wolf, and here it is:

To be honest with you, I have never been so unexcited about a watch before. To me it just looks like another Rolex Submariner knockoff coupled with a touch of Seiko Monster knockoff. The few who have purchased this watch are probably unaware of the interesting history behind it, but if it is indeed history you are after, see if you can hunt down a vintage Sea Wolf and pass on this modern monstrosity.